Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) Now Covered by Barclays

Key Points

• Barclays has initiated coverage of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS) with an "overweight" rating and a price target of $112.00, indicating a potential upside of 67.41% from its previous close.
• Merus reported a lag in earnings, with a loss of ($2.23) per share for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.17).
• Insider activities have seen significant stock sales, with COO Peter B. Silverman selling 25,000 shares for $1.5 million, while over the last three months, insiders sold a total of 82,500 shares valued at approximately $4.59 million.

Analysts at Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage set an "overweight" rating and a $112.00 price target on the biotechnology company's stock. Barclays's price objective suggests a potential upside of 67.41% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on shares of Merus from $97.00 to $96.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $90.00 target price on shares of Merus in a report on Monday, August 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merus from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. HC Wainwright upgraded shares of Merus to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Alliance Global Partners initiated coverage on Merus in a research report on Monday, August 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twelve have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merus presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $90.54.

Merus Trading Down 1.7%

NASDAQ:MRUS opened at $66.90 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.25. The company has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.16 and a beta of 1.19. Merus has a twelve month low of $33.19 and a twelve month high of $70.65.

Merus (NASDAQ:MRUS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($2.23) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.17) by ($1.06). The firm had revenue of $8.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 million. Merus had a negative net margin of 685.64% and a negative return on equity of 50.28%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merus will post -3.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Merus news, COO Peter B. Silverman sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $1,500,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders sold 82,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,586,340. 3.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Merus

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Merus by 2,153.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 631 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Merus by 299.0% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 802 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Merus in the 4th quarter worth $48,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Merus during the 4th quarter worth $60,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Merus by 955.3% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,794 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,624 shares during the period. 96.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merus Company Profile

Merus N.V., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, engages in the development of antibody therapeutics in the Netherlands. Its bispecific antibody candidate pipeline includes Zenocutuzumab (MCLA-128), which is in a phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer and castration-resistant prostate cancer, as well as in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors that harbor Neuregulin 1.

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